The UFC on FOX 3 preliminary fight took place at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. It aired on FUEL TV following a two-bout Facebook stream and prior to the evening’s FOX-broadcast main card.

Known primarily for his wrestling, Johnson controlled the first round with improved striking, mixing in frequent low kicks with slick boxing. Ferguson slipped to the mat once, but Johnson was too far away to capitalize. Shortly after, Johnson scored a big left hand that sent Ferguson to the canvas in a more violent manner. Ferguson popped right back to his feet, but he continued to lack behind Johnson’s pace and varied striking until the final seconds of the frame, where he scored with his most impressive flurry of the round.

Ferguson continued to control the center of the cage in the second frame, but Johnson remained active on the outside with his low kicks, sneaking in a few crisp straight lefts along the way that staggered his foe. The pace remained moderate and even drew some boos from the crowd, but the two continued to exchange when opportunities arose and not with any reckless approach.

The third round played out in similar fashion, with both fighters content to kickbox. Johnson caught a pair of kicks and delivered crisp counters as he continued to frustrate Ferguson from distance. “El Cucuy” did land one big right in the early stages of the final frame, and though Johnson buckled briefly, he was able to carry on and cruise to the decision win.

“Me and my training partners worked real hard on this one,” he said. “This fight was a little short notice, but there’s no such thing as that anymore. This was a great matchup for me, and I feel like I could have gone 20 rounds of standup with him. The sky’’ the limit for me, and my goal this year is to make and stay in the top 10 in the lightweight division.”

Ferguson admitted the early kick sapped him.

“That head kick he threw at me in the first round really hurt me,” he said. “It took away my jab for the rest of the fight and really limited what I can do. After that, I was way too passive and didn’t go after him. ”

With the win, Johnson (11-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improves to 3-1 in his past four octagon outings. Ferguson (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) sees a six-fight win streak snapped and loses for the first time in the UFC.

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